Chase Budinger hit 4-of-8 shots for 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer in 24 minutes off the bench in Friday's preseason loss. Budinger is expected to see extra time at small forward with Kevin Love sidelined and tonight he came through with a decent stat line. Budinger is only worth a look in deeper leagues, and is even a long shot at serious fantasy value if taken late. But the increased minutes potential is intriguing and he should be monitored closely for the rest of the preseason and over the first few games of the regular season.

Chase Budinger couldn't capitalize on Andrei Kirilenko's absence on Saturday -- he started at SF and played 37 minutes, but scored only six points of 2-of-11 shooting. Budinger shot over 40 percent from downtown last season but he made just 1-of-5 tonight, one reason this line is anomolous. Rick Adelman is happy with Budinger's play this preseason, and he should have a healthy role in support of Kirilenko.

Chase Budinger (hamstring) returned to a full five-on-five practice on Wednesday. The injury was never considered serious and the team was just being cautious very early in training camp.

Chase Budinger (strained left hamstring) didn't play in the Wolves 5-on-5 scrimmage on Tuesday. The injury is "not serious" and Budinger did participate in less strenuous parts of practice. The Wolves are wisely being cautious, but he should be fine for the preseason and opening night.

Chase Budinger said that the Timberwolves are "definitely a good fit," and also revealed he's been working on his ball handling and his pick-and-roll game. "The greatest thing about the trade is that I'm back with head coach Rick Adelman, who I played with for two years," he said. "I know his system and I know the coaches very well. Coach Adelman told me that he wanted me to be more involved in the pick-and-roll, so that's what I've been working on a lot." Budinger had more fantasy appeal before the signings of Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko.

Rockets trade G/F Chase Budinger and rights to F Lior Eliyah to Timberwolves for No. 18 draft pick. The trade is now official as the Rockets try to figure out what to do with the No. 14, 16 and 18 picks.

The Rockets have traded Chase Budinger to the Timberwolves for the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. It's a really interesting deal for the Rockets. Houston now has picks No. 14, No. 16 and No. 18 in Thursday's draft, and it's clear that the team is loading up on assets to use in a potential trade. As for the Timberwolves, the team has now traded its first-round pick and has just Budinger to show for it. We can't say we're all that enamored with the return.

The Rockets are expected to pick up Chase Budinger's option for the 2012-13 season. Budinger will play out next season for $942,000 and then become an unrestricted free agent. His stock took a hit this season as he fell behind Courtney Lee and Chandler Parsons on the depth chart for long stretches. Budinger ended up averaging 9.6 points while playing a meager 22.4 minutes per game.

Chase Budinger and Samuel Dalembert (back) are starting in Thursday's game against the Hornets, but beat writer Jonathan Feigen wrote that Greg Smith and Marcus Morris could "see more minutes." This takes a bit of the fun out of Budinger and Dalembert's starting nods, so proceed with caution. As for the young guys, you'd have to be in a very deep league to take a chance like that.

Chase Budinger tied a season-high with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting (including four threes) with six rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes off the bench on Thursday. Budinger has scored 14.4 points with 2.6 threes and 4.4 boards per game over his past five contests, making him well worth a look if you need help with the deep ball.